Page 48 of Stray
This was all because of me. Because I had gone to Venom and asked them to keep Stray away from me. Noah knew damn well that I hadn’t wanted him to get hurt.
After I got off the phone with Storm, I did some digging, trying to find out where Venom would be hanging out tonight. Apparently, they were running one of their warehouse raves. I hadn’t been to one since the night Stray found me there. I guess I would be returning tonight.
I didn’t waste a lot of time on makeup or clothing. Suddenly, none of that meant a damn thing. Slipping on a comfy pair of blue jeans and a hoodie, I left my apartment and went in search of Venom.
The drive to the warehouse had me shaking. Stray was hurt. All I wanted was to be with him. To make sure he was going to be all right. After the way I’d been treating him, that was the last thing he would want.
What would he think if I turned up at the hospital? Would he tell me to leave? I needed to see him. First I needed to speak with Noah and his asshole friends.
When I got to the warehouse, the parking lot was littered with people. I targeted a few people I recognized from previous parties, asking if anyone had seen Noah or the others. One girl said that she’d seen them inside. They’d just arrived.
I was vibrating with rage when I entered the building. Strobe lights blasted me in the eyes. Loud music reverberated all around me. Everywhere I looked people were having a great time. Living their lives without care. They were all so stupid. Indulging in drugs and alcohol in an effort to escape reality. Not so long ago, I’d been one of them.
I was stupid too. Going to Venom proved that. I scanned the warehouse, making my way through until finally I spotted Noah and Colt standing near the bar.
Vicious anger propelled me forward. I dodged the people that got in my way, pushing through until I stood in front of the two men. Noah’s gaze landed on me, his lips curved into a smirk. My fist was already in motion, punching that smirk right off his insipid face.
“How could you fucking do that?” I shouted, my voice carrying well above the music. “I told you that I didn’t want you to hurt him. I told you I didn’t want any of this. You could have killed them. Is that what you wanted?”
Noah rubbed his jaw where I’d hit him. His smile had disappeared, replaced with a scowl. “What the fuck is your problem? I warned you. You got exactly what you asked for. This is all on you.”
“Screw that. You used me as an excuse to go after them. What kind of sick piece of shit does that? You should be disgusted with yourselves.” I shot a dark glare at Colt as well. This wasn’t all on Noah. The three Venom guys worked together. If Damon had been present, I’d have had words for him too.
Colt shrugged, sipping from his beer, completely unruffled. “All you’re doing now is giving us another reason to go after them. Maybe you should think about that. Your actions have consequences.”
I smacked the beer bottle out of his hand, satisfied when it smashed on the floor at his feet. “That works both ways, asshole. You’re about to have some consequences of your own. I’m going to the Kings, and I’m telling them everything.”
Noah had the audacity to laugh right in my face. “You do that. They’ve already killed River. This is war. Nothing will stop us from getting the vengeance we deserve. You’re right, Codie. We don’t really give a shit about you and Stray. We were going to hit back at them anyway.”
A sudden dark urge to grab shards of broken beer bottle and slash them both across the throat gripped me. I wanted to see them bleed. To make them pay for what they’d done.
Because I didn’t trust myself, I turned on a heel and stormed for the door. Murdering these two pieces of human garbage in front of witnesses wouldn’t help me. I needed to go to Stray and the rest of the Graveyard Kings. To tell him what I’d done. They would handle Venom however they saw fit.
As I drove to the hospital, I called Storm. She didn’t answer. Most likely had her phone silenced. I needed to see Stray for myself. I needed to come clean about what I had done. Venom was going to make a move against the Graveyard Kings regardless of whether or not I had said anything. Yet they had used me as an excuse to act sooner. I needed to come clean with Stray. He deserved that much.
Once I reached the hospital, I sat in my car in the parking lot and stared at the large brightly lit building. I never understood why hospitals on TV always looked so dark. Every time I’d entered one I’d been bombarded by fluorescent lighting.
Steeling myself for the absolute worst, I entered the building and approached the first nurses’ station that I came across. Feeling like a liar, I told the nurse working the desk that I was Stray’s girlfriend. She informed me that he’d been moved from the ER to a room on the third floor.
That had to be the longest elevator ride of my entire life. It felt like it would never end. Then it did, and I was thrust into another brightly lit hallway with bustling doctors and nurses. The smell of disinfectant made me wrinkle my nose. God, I hated this place.
As I rounded a corner scrutinizing the room numbers, I heard my name. Storm stood outside a room, her phone clutched in one hand.
“I was about to call you back,” she said. “A nurse is trying to convince Stray to stay the night. Dom already won that battle. He and Casper just left. Maybe you can talk some sense into Stray.”
A tremor slid through me, leaving my spine with icy tingles. “I don’t think Stray is going to care about anything I have to say. I came to tell him that it’s my fault Venom took a shot at him.”
“Codie, it’s not your fault. You made a mistake. Venom was going to do something no matter what. They’re hungry for revenge. Maybe this isn’t the best time to tell Stray anything.” Storm glanced toward the room that Stray occupied. “He’ll be happy to see you. Why ruin it?”
Rebel emerged from the room then, shaking his head. “There’s no convincing him to stay. He’s determined to gohome.” Rebel met my worried gaze. “Why don’t you give it a try? He’ll be happy that you came.”
Not for long. Tentatively, I entered the room. A nurse stood next to Stray’s bed, doing her best to convince him to stay in it. He swung his legs over the side and made a feeble attempt at putting his clothes back on.
The nurse saw me standing hesitantly near the doorway and smiled. “Are you the girlfriend?”
Stray’s head jerked up. He turned so fast in my direction that he yelped in pain, clutching his ribs. “What are you doing here, strawberry? Am I dying? I must be if you showed up.”
The nurse slipped out of the room, leaving us alone. I looked Stray over, my heart breaking. The bandage across the bridge of his nose did nothing to hide the purple bruises that spread out from either side of it. There was a small cut on his forehead. Thick white bandages wrapped around his ribs.
